Mansfield Community Center history

1854 - Walnut Creek Cumberland Presbyterian Church is organized.

By 1860 the nucleus of the community has formed around the mill location.

1861 - John L. Wyatt, Mansfield's first banker/moneylender, begins his business.

1867 - The city fathers invite the Reverend Doctor John Collier, a Presbyterian minister, to come to Mansfield and establish an educational facility for the community.

1868 - Julian Field donates the land for the building of the Walnut Creek Congregation, Cumberland Presbyterian.

1869 - Upon the encouragement of the town, John Collier establishes a coeducational school: Mansfield Male and Female College.

Having the city platted and registered will give it a sense of permanence for his school, and this was accomplished in 1870.

1877 - Doctor Collier builds a two-story house on the western edge of the college campus.

1882 - James "Squire" Grimsley is Justice of the Peace.

1883 - The "Mansfield Chronicle" begins publication.

In 1886 Charles W. Weeks purchased 85 rods of land from Edwin Fitch, Jr. and the Buchanans and built a store on the site.

1887 - Doctor Collier purchases Marvin College in Waxahachie and closes the Mansfield Male and Female College.

1894 - In June, crews drilling for water in Corsicana, TX struck oil instead, starting a huge drilling boom.

In 1897 Charles Weeks sold the store to John Starkweather of Willington, who sold it five months later to Alfred Oden.

In 1899 Alfred Oden was also appointed postmaster and the Mansfield Center Post Office moved into the store.

1902 - The neighboring town of Lillian is started.

1905 - Joseph Edwards installs the first telephone lines in town.

An interesting account of an attempted robbery of the store and post office in 1906 is included later in this issue.

1909 - The Mansfield Independent School District is incorporated.

When the Town of Mansfield accepted the Mansfield Center Library as an entity in 1911, it was done on the condition that borrowing be free to the public.

1922 - A terrible flood hits Mansfield and surrounding cities, leaves 13 dead and 35 missing in the area. It destroys bridges, tracks and many rail cars, but the railroad bridge by North Street is left intact. (Image from Museum collection.)1924 - The cornerstone is laid for the new MISD school in September.

1927 - The first movie with synchronized dialogue is released.

The next owners of the general store were Thomas Arthur Barrows and Gustav Clauson who purchased the business in 1928.

1940 - In May, construction begins on The Rock Gym, as W.P.A. project #40541.

1952 - The City Council hires a night watchman for $150/month.

It remained there until 1954 when the current post office was built.

Willard and Ann Robb purchased the business in 1957 and continued to operate the store under the Barrows and Burnham name.

1958 - On September 8th, the City Council votes to change the name of Water Street to Main Street.

Willard and Ann Robb gave them to the Society when they modernized the store in 1962.

Most of the following information is derived from Roberta Smith’s research in the land records and her description of the property in the MHS publication, Historic Mansfield Center (2001).

The current department was formed from a merger in 2005 of two departments that served the town of Mansfield - the Eagleville Fire Department and the Mansfield Volunteer Fire Company.

2013 - The City builds the MISD Performing Arts Center.

In 2014 the University partnered with Mansfield Parks and Recreation to continue offering an array of high quality instruction in the arts.

2016 marked a new era for the CSA, as Mansfield Parks and Recreation began to independently administer the CSA program.